Around about Downtown Manhattan

Hey all, back again with an update from the last couple of days.

Unfortunately, flickr connection is still borked, so still no photos :(

So, I've spent a good part of the  last couple days hanging out with fellow Australians Alice and Bonnie, and I've greatly enjoyed having awesome people to chat to and see things with (not to mention having someone to take pictures of me in front of New York skylines - very important, that.)

Yesterday, after a bit of stupidity on my part (left my mobile at my hostel, had to return to Brooklyn to get it in order to arrange to meet), we caught up at Battery Park, at the Southern tip of Manhattan Island.  After taking in the excellent view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, we walked up through downtown, past Wall St and the New York Stock Exchange, to the City Hall and Civic Centre. We then braved the crowds to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, a spectacular structure, built in 1875, with an equally special view of both Downtown and Midtown Manhattan. After a stop for lunch on the Brooklyn side, we paid a visit to the incredibly picturesque Central Park, which is especially spectacular at its Southern end, with skyscrapers as a backdrop to the pond and landscaped beauty of the place. After a visit to the Apple Cube (Which I think I mentioned a few days ago) and FAO Schwartz, plus a walk through the bright, flashing landscape of Times Square, the girls were ready to call it a day. Before I headed back to Brooklyn for the night, I took the oppurtunity to do a bit of exploring in Midtown, and some night photography - if Flickr was working, this would be the point where I posted an amazing shot of the East River and Queensboro bridge which I stumbled upon in my walkings. Instead, you'll just have to imagine it, and take my word that the view was -amazing-.

Today, my morning was taken up with more mundane tasks - specifically, laundry - which I hadn't done since I left San Francisco. That out of the way, I headed into Manhattan, taking a long walk in the low-rise neighbourhoods between between Midtown and Downtown. Starting in Chinatown, I visited Little Italy, Noho, Soho, Chelsea, the West Village, Greenwich Village, and probably some other neighbourhoods that I didn't even know were there. Later in the afternoon I met up again wit Alice and Bonnie, who had spent the day at museums which I'd already hit up. We endured the long lines at Magnolia Cupcakes (Made famous, I'm informed, on Sex and the City), but the resulting sweets were well worth the wait - I mean, I don't use the term 'best cupcakes ever', but damn, these were really good cupcakes :P.

After another early night on the part of my travelling companions, I again took a night-time wander in this wonderful city. Taking the Subway South to 34th street, I paid a visit to the base of the Empire State Building (line was too long to consider going up), then moved on to 'the biggest store in the world', Macy's New York. Certainly, this is an enourmous store, and it has a lot of old-school charm. Of particular note were the wooden escalators throughout the uooer floors - I've never seen escalators that old before, and I suppose that through a combination of nostalgia and inertia (if it ain't broke...), they're still there in Macy's, running just as well as you'd expect an escalator to run.

After a wander through Macy's I realised that I hadn't, during this visit, been to see the famous flatiron building. Anyway, I felt like a walk, so I schlepped down Broadway, took in the flatiron by night, then continued down to my subway stop at 14th St.

Well, that's all from me for the time being. Big plans for tomorrow - it looks like it might snow in the morning, we've got a visit to the Rockerfeller Centre Observation Deck lined up, and, of course, New Year's Eve in Times Square.

Might not get back to the blog for a couple days, and New Year's Day has me taking the train to Boston, MA, where I'll be staying for a few days.

'til then!

Jono